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Summit showcases mHealth evolution, exhibitors say

By Mike Moran, Project Editor
Exhibitors at last week's mHealth Summit had plenty of good things to say about the event, which in its third year more than doubled the number of exhibiting companies from 140 to 298.

"At a show like this, with venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, everything is possible," said exhibitor Gary Close, vice president of marketing for Innerwireless, which provides wireless infrastructure services for hospitals. "Something has to be done to control healthcare, and instead of lip service you have real solutions and devices here. Every member of Congress should be here to see what is going on. This is the next evolution in healthcare, and that is exciting."

Kyle Peterson, director of regulatory and corporate affairs for Calgary Scientific, which produces a mobile display for diagnostic imaging, described the summit's mood as "upbeat and excited." But because the market is so new, he said he expects the "initial exuberance" to settle down.

Eventually, he said, the players will shake out, with the key factor deciding winners and losers being technology that proves most relevant to patients.

The mHealth Summit, he said, "gives us a consolidated view of how the mobile health sector is unfolding."

Mike Shaughnessy, director of sales for FireHost Secure Cloud Hosting, called the summit a great place to come for "education and awareness, seeing what is out there, seeing the trends and where your competition is."

Exhibitor Bob Dennison didn't mince words. He attended the summit to do business.

"We're fishing. I don't know what we are going to catch, but I think we'll get some business out of this," said the strategic account manager for Kony, which provides a development platform for smartphones.